Catholic Church Chooses Wrong Side Again

With the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) raid in Postville, Iowa, and the resulting protests coming from the all too sanctimonious “religious”, maybe it is time to step back and take a look at what is behind these “do gooders” and “saviors” of the criminals crossing our boarders.

First of all let's get this straight. An “illegal alien” is a criminal. This person is not misunderstood and needs to be cared for. They are not a pet. They are criminals that made a decision to break our laws when they came across the boarder without the proper documentation from our country. That is why they are afraid of our law enforcement people. They know they are wrong.

Once again the Catholic Church has taken a stand on a modern issue and been found lacking in logic and substance. Recently, during the Pope's visit, he took exception to the United States border policy expressing that it lacked sensitivity for the needs of the less fortunate. The Pope chose to totally ignore the billions of dollars the American taxpayers spend annually on aid to less fortunate countries, as well as the continual problem we are facing with the daily uncontrollable assault on our boarder of untrained labor and often drug carrying illegal aliens.

Following the raid at the Postville Meatpacking Plant, the families of the detainees ran to the local Catholic Church for sanctuary. Instead of the Church working with the officials to assist the families, they allowed them to stay. They brought in food, gave them shelter and the illusion of protecting them from the government officials. The Church actually encouraged the hysteria by not working towards a resolution. The Catholic Church is way out of line. In addition, the Church encouraged people to protest the deportation of illegal aliens. This is the only country in the world where people who have broken the law go to the streets to protest being prosecuted for their crimes – and in Spanish no less!!! While the Church kept a rule on sanctuary in the churches in the Code of Cannon Law until 1983, they have continued putting others at risk for arrest for harboring fugitives, obstructing justice or disturbing the peace.

The Church has it wrong. It is not a matter of choosing between the illegals and the government. It is not an “all or nothing” issue. It is a right or wrong issue. You don't have to make aliens the enemy. The Church says to repent of your sins so, once again, the Catholic Church is showing conflicts within it's own standards of decision making. Why is the Church giving them “sanctuary” or defending wrong doing by pretending it is acceptable? That is hypocritical on the part of the Church leaders. Jesus recognized the authority of the government when he said in the Bible ( Matt 22:21), “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's...” . This did not only apply to taxes. If the Catholic Church is having a hard time accepting it's place of authority along side that of the government officials, maybe the Church Leaders should go back and read their Bible again. As Saint Paul wrote, (Titus 3:1) “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good...”

So what should the Catholic Church be doing? Maybe the Church could show some real compassion instead of turning these detainees and their families into a cause. Illegal aliens have broken the law but their children are not criminals. The children belong with their parents no matter where they happened to be born. Take care of their needs while they are in transition. Help them emotionally. Cry with them. Pray for them. Let them get on with their lives. Pretending like these criminals did nothing wrong, or the law is wrong, doesn't help them. People who do Prison Ministry learn that very quickly. This is no different.

It seems to me that the official Church position, as you stated it, says “...subject to various judicial conditions...” and “Immigrants are obliged...to obey the laws...” of the country that receives them. That states my case perfectly. Thank you. While it was the local parish clergy that took it upon themselves to act so irresponsibly, I have yet to see any response from the Diocese regarding all the hysteria they caused.

I'm sure that the Church will be very relieved to know that the United States still welcomes immigrants and new citizens after the proper paperwork has been completed. However, the subject at hand are the people who chose to disregard our laws, by coming into our country illegally, steal other people's identity and use fraudulent Social Security Cards. This is only the beginning of the crimes committed against our country and our society. The Church, on the other hand, chooses to ignore all these obvious crimes and pretend everything is acceptable in the name of “charity”. This is not true charity. It is just compounding wrong upon wrong.

The Church has no right to make National Security decisions for our country nor do they have any right to obstruct justice when we try to enforce our laws. Is the Church going to accept responsibility for the deaths caused by the drugs being brought across the boarder by some of these illegals? Is the Church going to accept responsibility the next time a Boarder Patrol Agent is killed? I thought not. Then get out of the way.

“The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.”

Another good reason I’m not Catholic. I am not under any such obligation, nor is anyone else. This is typical contemporary religious pablum and one of the reasons the Muslims are expanding and Christians are not.

The key phrase is “to the extent they are able,” which is eminently prudential and debatable.

It’s the business of the Church to ask for charity, and the business of Christians who are able to provide it.

It’s not the business of anyone to tell anyone else how much charity others ought to provide—that would destroy the very possibility of charity.

“It’s the business of the Church to ask for charity”

No problem there. The problem is when they start demanding it and lobbying our prostitutes in government to provide it out of my tax dollars.

One of the reasons I left the Methodists, who are hardly any better on this subject.

Once again the Catholic Church has taken a stand on a modern issue and been found lacking in logic and substance. Recently, during the Pope's visit, he took exception to the United States border policy expressing that it lacked sensitivity for the needs of the less fortunate. The Pope chose to totally ignore the billions of dollars the American taxpayers spend annually on aid to less fortunate countries, as well as the continual problem we are facing with the daily uncontrollable assault on our boarder of untrained labor and often drug carrying illegal aliens.

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